On Aura Tout Vu Autumn / Winter 2013
A foray into grandmother’s jewellery box is accompanied by abandon. Adventuring into parallel aesthetic territories, On Aura Tout Vu’s Autumn / Winter 2013 collection sprung from a haute couture trunk that treasured nostalgic sensibilities beside rainbow futurism and insatiably consumed embellishment. Hems began abridged. Exaggerated hourglass shapes, red lips and slick beehives gave the collection a retro bass note. Yellow, green and aqua were hand-painted in turn over neutral silk. Intermittent plastic visors unified the kitsch element.
Bone-like plexiglass ornamentation formed focal points around the spine, shoulders, neck and heart – appearing as a literal manifestation of one’s inner jewellery-box-raiding skeletons emerging to the surface. Multicolour meditation took a turn into monochrome in shades from charcoal to black. Contemporary career cats may indeed find space for a strong-shouldered, knee-length dress in their wardrobe, with oversized collar and barbed shoulders bringing new meaning to power dressing. Brightly hued, hand-pleated evening gowns followed. Embellishments continued to grow out of the top of garments, drawing attention to the face and neck – an evolved iteration of traditional jewellery.
Design duo Yassen Samouilov and Livia Stoianova transformed the standard wedding dress finale into a pure plexiglass assault (30 square metres of the material was used). The triumphant white exoskeleton burst forth to frost its wearer. An interesting exploration of colour and design, On Aura Tout Vu may have benefited from a more subtle approach to plastic-look ornamentation, an editing eye on the pleated gowns which didn’t hold peace with the rest of the collection and a soundtrack that felt less lifted from Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 The Great Gatsby. Then again, what is grandma’s jewellery box if not a little enthusiastic over kitsch crazy eclecticism?
Symonne Torpy
